Painter&#39;s drop cloth



July 17, 1956 Filed Jan. 12, 1955 A. J. PARKER PAINTERS DROP CLOTH 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

ALLEN J. PARKER,

ArroR/vE Y.

July 17, 1956 A. J. PARKER 2,755,009

PAINTER'S DROP CLOTH Filed Jan. 12, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

Fie.6. ALLEN J. PARKER,

July 17, 1956 A. J. PARKER 2,755,009

PAINTER'S DROP CLOTH Filed Jan. 12, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. ALLEN J. PARKER,

19 flan v (g ATTORNEY PAINTERS DROP CLOTH Allen J. Parker, West Palm Beach, Fla.

Application January 12, 1955, Serial No. 481,439

1 Claim. (Cl. 22860) This invention relates to a novel form of collapsible shelter device commonly in the form of a tent or the like, and with the device being readily collapsible for storage within a minimum of space.

The invention has for an object a shelter device that is preferably formed from a single section of woven and preferably waterproof fabric and with the shelter, when in an assembled position, being substantially square in top plan and forming in efiect a truncated pyramid and with each of its corners being provided with a tubular hem for the reception of supporting ridge bars, and with the ridge bars at their lower terminal ends being each connected with a ground piercing stake whereby the truncated pyramid is supported against downward flexing by the several ridge bars.

A further object of the invention resides in novel means whereby the ridge bars and their associated ground stakes may be shiftable for disposing the ground stakes in a fiat horizontal position to form feet for resting engagement with a floor area whereby the device may be employed for indoor use by children or for other indoor use, such as for military training purposes.

A further object of the invention resides in a novel form of clamping cover for the truncated end of the pyramid whereby the marginal edges of the truncated end are rigidly clamped in a manner to efiectively provide a peak for the enclosure.

A further and important object of the invention resides in the combination of a truncated pyramidal form of shelter device that is adaptable to be inverted for supporting engagement upon the legs of a conventional stepladder whereby the walls of the shelter device will extend outwardly from the stepladder to effectively provide a novel form of drop-cloth whereby a painter or the like may ascend the stepladder and conveniently work upon a ceiling area or a relatively high wall area without danger of spilling or dropping paint upon the underlying furnishings of a room. The extending area of the drop-cloth is calculated to be such as to cover the normal area of reach possible with the painter balanced upon the upper portion of the ladder and with the device as a whole greatly facilitating the painting of wall and ceiling areas without the necessity of shifting furniture, rugs or the like, such as is the common practice today.

The invention in its drop-cloth form contemplates the use of flap means that are shifted inwardly by the operator to overlie a detachable panel that is supported upon the legs of the stepladder and through the medium of which paint will not splatter or drop downwardly between the legs of the stepladder to fall upon the floor area of the room or the furnishings thereof. Various novel features of construction, arrangement of parts and the multiple uses of the invention will be clearly apparent during the course of the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein has been illustrated a preferred form of the device and wherein like characters of reference are employed to denote like parts throughout the several figures.

" nitcd States Patent 2,755,009 Patented July 17, 1956 In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a shelter device constructed in accordance with the invention,

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof,

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a combined ridge bar and ground stake,

Figure 4 is an enlarged transverse section taken through a cap device for the truncated pyramid taken substantially on line 4-4 of Figure 1,

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section through a hem formed upon the shelter device and the associated ridge bar engageable therein,

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5, but with the ground piercing stake being arranged in a flat supporting position upon a floor area,

Figure 7 is a perspective view illustrating a modified form of ridge bar and its associated hem of the shelter device,

Figure 8 is a front elevation of a stepladder showing the shelter device supported thereon in an inverted manner to provide an open upper end extended drop-cloth,

Figure 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of a supporting bar employed to support the shelter device in the dropcloth forming position,

Figure 10 is a side elevation of a stepladder and the shelter device supported thereon in the drop-cloth forming position, and

Figure 11 is a fragmentary section taken on line 11--11 of Figure 10.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the numeral 5 designates a shelter device as a whole embodying substantially identical wall sections 6 and preferably formed of a single section of flexible and waterproof material. The wall sections 6 are gathered together to form a plurality of tubular hems 7 stitched together at their base and open at their lower ends. The gathering together of the material for forming the hems 7 provides inwardly extending flap portions 8 upon which wall sections 6 and the several flap sections 8 at assembly are clamped between inner and outer preferably light weight metallic members 9 and 10. The members 9 and 10 are pyramidal in shape with their side walls corresponding to the normal angularity of the wall 6 when the shelter device is in the fully extended position. Thus, the members 9 and 10 are nesting with respect to each other and with the flaps 3 being clamped therebetween. Bolts 11 or the like are employed to rigidly clamp the members 9 and 10 together in their peak forming position for the shelter device. One wall 6 is preferably split for its full height and overlapped to form an entrance and exit opening for the shelter device.

The corners of the shelter device 5 are supported rigidly against downward flexing by preferably telescopic ridge bars 12 that slideably engage within the hems 7. The lowermost telescopic section 13 is pivotally connected between a pair of ears 14, struck from a triangular plate 15 that forms a ground piercing stake. The lower end of the stake 15 is sharpened as at 16 to facilitate its engagement within the ground, as clearly illustrated in Figure 5, and the upper edge of the plate15 is preferably formed straight to form a foot rest 17 through the medium of which the operator may conveniently force the stake into the ground without the use of driving tools orthe like. While the bars 12 have been shown as being telescopic, it will be apparent that they may be formed in a single section corresponding to the normal length of the hems 7. However, for military use, it is desirable that the entire device be collapsible into a relatively small space, and for this purpose the bars 12 are formed telescopic and with the plates 15 being pivoted thereto so as to swing up and engage the side of the bars as a means to protect the operator against the sharpened point 16.

In the use and assembling of the device, the operator first engages the plates 9 and 10 upon the inner and outer sides of the flaps 8 after which the bolts 11 are engaged and the plates securely bound together with the flaps 8 securely retained therehetween. Thus, the plates 9 and 10 form a very effective closure for the open truncated end of the pyramidal shelter device 5. The bars 12 are then extended and their extended ends engage within the several hems 7 after which the operator, holding the shelter device at the proper angle, steps upon the top 17 forcing the plates into the ground to prevent movement of the ridge bar. This action is repeated for each corner of the shelter. It will thus be seen that the device may be quickly and easily assembled and positioned for use by an occupant or occupants. In the case of children using the shelter device on a surface that prevents the engagement of the piercing stakes 15, the stakes 15 are merely swung upon their pivots to lie flat upon the supporting area forming feet for the resting support of each corner of the device.

Since the device is adapted to also be employed as a painters drop-cloth, the shelter device 5 will be engaged over the upper portion of a conventional stepladder 18 in an inverted manner with the truncated portion now serving as the lower end of the device, while the normal base portion serves as the upper marginal edge. Upon the outer sides of each of the leg portions of the stepladder, there have been provided sockets 19 for the detachable reception of flat ends 20 of supporting rods 21. The rods 21 are rigid with respect to the ends 20, hence, the ends 20, when engaged within the sockets 19, dispose the rods 21 in a predetermined outward angularity with respect to the ladder 18. It is thus desirable that the device 5 now serving as a drop-cloth shall extend outwardly in opposite directions from the sides and ends of the ladder and equal distance, or substantially so. The rods 21 may be of any particular construction, such as metal, bamboo, wood or possibly plastic, and may be formed in a single section or telescopic as in Figures 3 and 7. The flap opening of the shelter device 5 is preferably disposed upon that side of the ladder that is provided with the conventional steps. It will thus be seen in Figures 8 and 10 that the device, when supported in an inverted manner upon a stepladder, will project outwardly from the ladder and cover a relatively wide area substantially a distance outwardly from the ladder capable of being covered by the average reach of a painter standing upon the upper portion of the ladder. Since there is always a possibility that paint may be dropped downwardly between the legs of the ladder, there has been provided a panel 22 preferably of textile material and this panel is provided at its corners with snap-on devices 23 that engage mating snap devices carried by the legs of the ladder. Thus, when the ladder is to be employed in combination with the shelter device 5, the panel 22 is assembled and snapped into position, then after the device 5 has been mounted through the medium of the rods 21 engaging the hems 7, the operator then above the flaps 8 inwardly to lie upon the marginal portion of the panel 2, thus effectively closing up the bottom of the drop-cloth. Suitable snap-fasteners 24 may be employed by the operator to maintain the flaps 6 in their overlapping or closed position.

In the use of the shelter device as a painters drop-cloth, it is assembled as just described after which the painter shifts the ladder and its supported device 5 beneath that area of the ceiling or adjacent that area of the wall to be painted, and then mounts the ladder, climbing through the flap portions 6 closing them after him and then standing upon the particular convenient step portion of the ladder, proceeding to paint in the usual and well known manner and with the furnishings of the room, including the floor area, etc., being adequately protected against splashing or spilling of paint. Thus, the outward projection of the device is adequate to overlie the major number of articles of furniture disposed within the room so that the painter may easily and conveniently shift the ladder and its supported drop-cloth around the major portion of the room without the necessity of disturbing the articles of furniture and thus greatly facilitating the painting of the room in a minimum of time. The device may he quickly removed from the ladder after the painting has been completed and upon removal of the supporting rod 21, the device may be easily and quickly folded and stored in a minimum of space. Thus, the ability of a painter to be able to go into a furnished room and proceed to paint the ceiling without the necessity of first shifting and then covering the furniture and the like with a drop-cloth is highly important and results in a very considerable financial saving in labor alone. The manufacture of the shelter in a form that permits its adaptation to a drop-cloth is important in that the manufacturer may manufacture an article capable of flexibility as to its use. The bars 12 illustrated in Figure 7 may be provided with suitable spring latches 25 similar to a conventional tripod and serves to releasably support the rods in an extended and supporting position. The marginal edges of the walls 6 and the flaps 8 may be reinforced in any desirable manner.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangement shown, but that changes are contemplated as readily fall within the spirit of the invention as determined by the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A painters drop cloth for detachable supporting engagement upon the upper end of a step-ladder, that comprises a flexible sheet of material shaped to form a truncated pyramid and with the pyramid being inverted whereby the truncated end engages over the step-ladder to embrace the upper end thereof, sockets carried by the legs of the step-ladder, supporting rods that have their lower ends engageable within the sockets in a manner whereby the rods extend outwardly from the ladder at acute angles, the rods being engageable within hems formed upon the drop cloth at equidistantly spaced points whereby the drop-cloth will be supported in flaring relation to the step-ladder with its upper marginal edges being extended outwardly from the step'ladder substantially an equal distance, the truncated end of the pyramid being provided with flaps that are foldable inwardly after the drop-cloth has been mounted, the several fiaps when folded inwardly overlying a flexible sheet of material that spans and is connected to the legs of the step-ladder whereby to prevent dropping of paint downwardly between the legs of the ladder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 842,672 Kirby Jan. 29, 1907 1,626,068 Bartlett Apr. 26, 1927 1,730,565 Flintjer Oct. 8, 1929 2,010,588 Gooden Aug. 6, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS 5,338 Australia Nov. 10, 1927 

